End cap for sewing-machine horns



Feb. 23 1926.

J; P. WEIS END CAP FOR SEWING MACHINE HORNS Filed Nov. 5, 1925 Patented Feb. 23, 1926.

1,574,524 event c rries.

UhllTE JOHN P. \VEIS, OE NYACK, NEW" YORK, ASSIGNGR TO METROPOLITAN SEWING MA- CHINE CORPQEATION, (9F NYACK, NEW

YORK, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

Application filed. November To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN P. Wins, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nyack, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful In'iprovements in End Caps for Sewing-Ma chine Horns, of which the following is a s1 ecification. v

This invention relates to cylindrical work supports or arms of sewing machines commonly designated as horns over wnich the tubular work is handled and more particularly relates to the end caps thereof, an objcct of the invention being to provide an improved end cap for the cylindrical work support in which is located the looper and feeding mechanisms.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an end cap for cylindrical work arms for sewing machines having a shiftable support adapted to carry various attachments such as lap seam fellers, edge guides and other folders or attachments for use in folding and guiding the edges of the work to the sewing machine and which shiftable support may be instantly thrown into and out of working position with a minimum of effort thereby to enable the quick handling of the work underneath of the presser foot, both in placing the work for starting the stitching oaeration, as well as for the removal of such work after the stitching operation is completed.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an improved end cap having a si'vinging support adapted to carry various forms of attachments and which support may be quickly thrown into and out of operation and which is provided with means for holding the support in either its operative or inoperative position and which support can be quickly swung into its inoperative position to permit the quick manipulation of the Work at any stage of the stitching operation.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a side view of the outer end of a cylindrical horn having this improved end cap attached thereto, this View showing two positions of the presser foot and swinging support; Fig. 2 is an end view of the detachable cap looking in the direction of the arrow A in Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a top plan view of this improved end cap; Fig. 4 is also an end View 5, 1925.- Serial No. 66,932.

of this improved cap looking in the direction of the arrow B in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a detail view of the shiftable support and the means for attaching it and its spring in position, and Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate different forms of lap fell seams which may be fed to the machine by suitable attachments carried by. the shift-able support.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding .parts in the several views.

Before explaining in detail the present improvement and mode of operation thereof, I desire to have it understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction and arrangement of parts which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments, and that the phraseology which I employ is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

The main objection to the ordinary end cap having lap seam 'fellers or other attachments mounted on and secured thereto is that they must be located as close to the stitching mechanism as possible in order to properly control the work as it is folded and guided into the stitching position. This requires that these folders or guidesbe "adjusted very close to the front end of the presser foot and when thus positioned the space between the front end .as 35 of the folder and the front end as 36 of the presser foot is so small that great difficulty results in the starting and removal of the work to and from the stitching position. Many of these folders and guides require a projectportion as 37 extending from the folder to further assist in controlling the work and these projecting portions catch and hook into the work when it is removed from the cylinder and drawn over the folder, for it will be observed that when the presser foot is lifted into the dotted lines shown in Fig.

1, there is but a small clearance for the withdrawal of the work under the presser foot and over the folder and likewise only a small clearance for the insertion ofthe work and consequently the object ofthe present invention is to provide a shiftable folder which may be readily shifted orswung away from the stitching mechanism whereby it will be out of the way of the work and thus prevent the folder from interfering therewith.

in the present improvement the folder can be almost instantly shifted away from the work by merely touching the outer end 38 of the supporting plate thereof which will swing it downwardly away from the stitching mechanism where it will be held by the means provided for that purpose and which in turn can be as quickly returned to its normal working position where it will be likewise held by the means provided for that purpose and maintained in either of these positions from shifting or rattling.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, the needle of the stitching mechanism is illustrated at 1 and the ordinary presser feet at 2 which latter is sup ported and operated in the usual manner. The cylindrical work bed or arm or horn of the sewing machine which is tubular in form and of small diameter as compared with cylindrical horns of the prior art is shown at 3, and this horn is ofsubstantially uniform diameter from end to end and is formed of steel tubing or sheet metal so that the walls thereof are comparatively thin as compared with a cast work arm so that this steel tube is modified from a standard cast tube by a substantial decrease in cross sectional area and a substantial decrease in ratio of wall thickness to cross sectional diameter, whereby I am able to provide a strong and rigid arm capable of supporting a maximum load as compared with arms of the prior art such as cast arms which are usually of tapered form. This uniform arm carries parts of the operating or stitching mechanism comprising in part the looper and feed dogs and the mechanism for operating these parts which without reducing the size thereof are carried within this small arm due to the manner in which the same is formed. This improved end cap is likewise of practically cylindrical or tubular formation and of substantially the same diameter and thin walls and may be made of any suitable material as of aluminum whereby it is of li ht weight since it does not have to support any of the stitching mechanism. The cylindrical arm is provided with an overhanging throat plate 4, the forward. end 5 of which is provided with the usual feed slots for the feed dogs to work thru and which cooperate with the presser foot. This forward portion 5 of the throat plate has its opposite edges beveled as at 6 to fit into dovetail grooves 7 of the end cap 8, which as hereinbefore stated is circular in form and of substantially the same diameter as the cylindrical work support. The rear end 9 of the cap is milled out to enlarge its inside diameter so that that portion of the cap which fits over the edges 6 of the throat plate will be flexible whereby the cap can be readily slipped on and off of the throat plate and held there under sufficient tension not however more than is required to hold the cap in place during the operation of the machine and permit its quick removal for threading the looper and making necessary adjustments.

For the purpose of quickly removing the tail grooved edges of the cap to flexiblyv grip the beveled edges 6 of the throat plate. The outer or forward end of the end cap is rounded as at 11, the radius of this rounded portion being struck from the axis 12 of the pivot screws 18 hereinafter referred to and the end of the cap is channeled or reccssed to provide a pair of spaced walls 16 for the reception of a pair of arms 16 of the folder support 17. These arms are pivotally supported between these spaced walls by pivot screws 13 fitting freely in holes 14- of the cap, the ends 15 (see -r ig'. 5) be ing threaded in these arms 16 of the swing ing support 17. hese arms 16 are yoked together as at 18 (see Fig. so that the arms are likewise spaced apart as at .19 for the location of a suitable spring 20. The lower end of this spring is connected by hook 21 to the bottom wall of the cap while the top or outer end 22 is connected by a pin 23 located in a hole at in the inner end of the swinging support 17 and this end of the spring fits into a slot 25 in the supporting plate 17, see Fig. 5 and thus prevents sidewise movement of the parts. This spring is connected to the hook 21 and pin 23 under sui'licient tension and its position is such that it will hold the swinging support in its normal working position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 or in its shifted position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, in which latter position it is out of the way so that the free handling of the work is made possible and practical.

T te positioning of the i0 insure the act a swinging support 17 in its working position suitable stop pins 26 extend thru the sides of the end cap and have their inner ends 27 projecting into the path of movement of the arms 16 of the swinging support, these ends 27 bein in position to engage the walls 28, see 1 5 of the arms 16 and thus limit the movement of the swing ing support in one direction. The arms 16 of the swinging support contact with the bottom wall or surface 29, see Figs. 1 and 2, of the end cap when the swinging sup port is shifted out of its working position thus limiting the swinging movement of this support. The spring 20 is so located and connected that it can swing to either site of the center line of the pivot screws 13 as will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 1, so that in one position it will exert tension to hold the swinging support against the ends of the stop pins 27 when the swinging support is in its working position and to hold it against the stop s 1'- face when the swinging support is thrown out of its working position and the space 19 between the arms 16 permits this spring to thus operate above and below the center line 12 of the pivots 13. Securedto the top of the swinging support 17 is a plate 30 adjustably held in place by screws 31 and this plate carries any suitable attachment as a guide or lap seam feller, which in the present instance, is shown comprising a bracket 32 having anadjustable top plate 33 and scroll 34 which is one form of means that may be used for folding and guiding the work to the presser foot 52 of the sewing n ichine, and which work is illustrated in (3 and 7 wherein different forms of lap seams are shown. It will be understood of course that the pivot screws 13 may be located in a different position, that the swinging movement of the support may be variezii and that the arms 16 may be otherwise located than as herein shown. In fact they could be located on the outside of the capif pre-v ferred and that a different arrangement of spring could also be used but the structure herein shown is simple in construction, quickly operative and very practical and inexpensive and very much facilitates the handling of the work and does not in any way interfere with the placing or re moval of the end cap relatively to the cylindrical work support and its throat plate. In the present improvement the cap is attached to what is known as a feed up the arm machine, that is a machine in which the feed dogs extend and work lengthwise of the cylinder arm and not transversely thereof,so that the cap swings toward the stitching mechanism in line with the feed and in the direction of the length of the cylinder arm.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the work attachment is supported adjacent to the end of the tubular cap in such a way that it will swing at the end of the cap in the arc of a circle toward and from the stitching position being guided during such swinging movements by the curved en-c. walls of the cap and the beveled inner end 17 of the work support 17 and that the spring automatically operates to maintain this work attachment in either of its shifted positions and also operates to facilitate the shifting of the attachment so that it requires but sli ht. pressure on the part of the operator to move it from one posit-ion I to the other.

It is to be understood that by describing in detail herein .any'particular form, structure or arrangement, it is not intended to limit the invention beyond the terms of the several claims or the requirements of the prior art. v

Having thus explained the nature of my said invention and. described a way of constructing and using the same, although with out attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made,or all of the modes of its use, I claim:

1.. In a sewing machine having a feed up the arm work cylinder, the combination of an end-cap therefor, and a work attachment secured to the cap for swinging movement from the stitching mechanisnrand toward the same in the direction of the line of feed thereby to provide when the attachment is swung away from the stitching mechanism, a clearance space for the manipulation of the work.

in a sewing machine having a feed up the arm work cylinder, the combination of an end cap therefor, a work attachment secured to the cap for swinging movement from the stitching mechanism and toward the same in the direction of the lineof fee-i thereby to provide when the attachment is swung away from the stitching mechanism .a clearance space for the manipulation of the work, and automatically operative means for maintaining said attachment in either of its shifted positions.

3. In a sewing machine having a cylindrical work arm, the combination of a tubular end cap therefor, a work folding means secured to said end cap for swinging movement over the top of the cap from and toward the stitchingmechanism in the direction of the length of said arm' thereby to provide when the folding means is swung.

away from the stitching mechanism a clearance space for the manipulation of the work, and spring acting means for maintaining said folding means in either of its shifted positions. i

4-. In a sewing machine having a feed up the arm work cylinder, the combina tion of a tubular end cap having a lengthwise extending recess open at the end of the cap, a work folding means secured within the cap recess for swinging movement over the top of the cap toward and from the stitching mechanism thereby to provide when the folding means is swung away from the stitching mechanism'a clearance space for the manipulation of the work, and means operative to hold the folding means in position.

5. A sewing machine having a cylindrical work arm, the combination of adetachable and shiftable tubular end cap having a lengthwise extending recess opening at the end of the cap, workfolding means secured within the cap recess for swinging movement over the top of the cap from and toward the stitching mechanism in the direction of the length of said arm thereby to provide when the folding means is swung away from the stitching mechanism a clearance space for the manipulation of the work, means for maintaining said folding means in either of its shifted positions and stop means for limiting the swinging movement of said folding means.

6. A tubular end cap for the end of a cylindrical arm of a sewing machine having an arm pivotally secured thereto for swinging movement away from and toward the stitching mechanism in the direction of the length of said arm, a support carried by said arm for movement over the top of the cap and work manipulating means carried by said support.

7. A tubular end cap for the cylindrical arm of a sewing machine having a work folder pivotally secured thereto for swinging movement over the top of the cap away from and toward the stitching mechanism in the direction of the length of said arm, and automatically operative means for maintaining said attachment in either of its positions.

8. A tubular end cap for a tubular work arm of a sewing machine having an arm swingingly supported by said cap, said arm having a support movable in the arc of a circle over the top of the cap toward and from the stitching mechanism and adapted to receive interchangeable work guiding or folding means.

9. A tubular end cap for a tubular work arm of a sewing machine having an arm swingingly supported by said cap, said arm having a support movable in the arc of Y a circle over the top of the cap toward and from the stitching mechanism and adapted to receive interchangeable work guiding or folding means, and spring acting means for holding said attachment in either of its shifted positions.

10. An end cap for a tubular work arm of a sewing machine provided with a curved guiding end wall, a work attachment swingingly supported by the cap for shiftable movement in the arc of a circle toward and from the stitching position and guided by said wall.

11. An end cap for a tubular work arm of a sewing machine provided with a curved guiding end wall, a work attachment swingingly supported by the cap for shiftable movement in the arc of a circle toward and from the stitching position and guided by said wall, and a spring for automatically holding said attachment in either of its shifted positions.

12. A tubular end cap for a tubular work arm of a sewing machine having a pair of spaced end walls curved transversely of the length of the arm, an arm located between said walls and pivoted thereto for swinging movement in the arc of a circle, said arm having a support swinging over the top of the arm for the reception of interchangeable work guiding ,or folding means.

13. The combination of a tubular work arm of a sewing machine, a swinging arm, pivotal means for said arm and extending transversely of the arm, a support carried by said arm and adapted to swing in the are of a circle over the top of said arm toward and from the stitching mechanism and a work guiding and folding means carried by said support.

let. A detachable end cap for the tubular work arm of a sewing machine, said cap having a curved outer end wall and work manipulating means swingingly supported by the cap for swinging movement over the top of the cap in the arc of a circle toward and from the stitching mechanism.

15. A tubular work arm of a sewing machine having a pair of spaced end walls terminating in curved ends, an arm located be tween said walls and pivoted thereto and carrying a support adapted to swing in the arc of a circle over the top of said work arm toward and from the stitching mechanism and work guiding or folding means carried by said support.

16. A tubular end cap for a tubular work arm of a sewing machine having a pair of spaced walls terminating in curved outer guiding edges, a swinging work attachment shiftable in the arc of a circle toward and from the stitching position and comprising a plate having a pair of spaced arms, said arms pivotally secured between said walls, and a spring secured to the attachment and to the end cap and located between said arms for maintaining said attachment in its shifted position.

17. A tubular end cap for a tubular work arm of a sewing machine having a pair of spaced walls terminating in curved outer guiding edges, a swinging work attachment shiftable in the arc of a circle toward and from the stitching position and comprising a plate having a pair of spaced arms, said arms pivotally secured between said walls, a spring secured to the attachment and to the end cap and located between said arms for maintaining said attachment in its shifted position, and means for limiting the move and a spring secured to the attachment and to the end cap and located between said arms for maintaining said attachment in its shifted position and shiftable past the center line of the pivotal point of said arms to the end cap.

19. A tubular end cap for the cylindrical work arm of a sewing machine, said cap having an arm pivotally secured thereto and carrying a work guiding or folding support shiftable in the arc of a circle over the top of the cap toward and from the stitching position, and spring acting means located within the cap and connected to said support and cap for positioning said support and shiftable past the center line of the pivotal point of the arm to the cap.

Signed at Nyack, New York, this 2nd day of November, 1925.

JOHN P. VVEIS.' 

